CHAPTER 4

XxXxXxXx

SECOND EARTH

XxXxXxXx

Courtney Chetwynde arrived home after the day's soccer practice and quickly retreated to her room, flopping onto her bed and pulling out a book. It was then she remembered she had one more thing to do before she could relax.

With a sigh, she sat up and pulled out her cell phone from a pocket, quickly finding Bobby's number.

She waited a few seconds, waiting for the phone at the Pendragons' residence to respond to the call. Nothing happened.

'We're sorry, the number you have dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and dial again…'

Courtney checked the number. It was the same number she had always called. She tried again, getting the same result.

"Well, that's odd…" she muttered.

She sat up and tucked the phone back into her pocket. "Mom? I'm going to take a walk!" she called before heading out the front door.

Mark would know. After all, he knew something she didn't.

XxXxXxXx

FIRST EARTH

XxXxXxXx

I couldn't sleep that night due to the nightmares. Every time I thought I would drift off into sleep, I was greeted with the images of the soldiers sitting outside the sick bay…the blood…the pain. I would wake quickly after that.

The morning came slowly, and at some point I must have fallen into a fitful sleep.

I was awakened by Lobster kicking the side of my bed. "Hey…you. Get up! The Alpha Team needs backup!"

I was awake in an instant.

After I had changed into my uniform, I followed Lobster out to the balcony overlooking the ocean; the one I had arrived on. Soldiers were quickly climbing a short ladder into a helicopter that was hovering above the wooden boards. I was blasted by wind as I climbed up into the transportation and took a seat along one of the walls. There were no doors shielding the entrance.

As soon as the last soldier climbed in, we were off. The Bravo Team's leader stood and held up a small pack, shouting over the helicopter's noise.

"You will each receive eleven Fulton Recovery balloons! Use them to rescue any hostages you may find, but keep the eleventh for yourself! You may need it to make a quick escape!"

He tossed a few to the nearest soldiers, who caught them and passed them down. I inwardly groaned. I hated this thing.

"You will also receive a Codec! Fit it over your ear and test it now to make sure it's adequate!"

Whoo. A radio headset.

I fit the plastic earpiece over my ear and adjusted the volume control on a small box that resembled an old Walkman Radio. I was greeted with harsh feedback that made me cringe. As I glanced around the interior of the helicopter, I saw that most of the other men had the same reaction.

The Bravo leader smiled. "Now connect the microphone to your uniform's collar!"

I followed a small wire to a tiny microphone and fumbled with it and my collar. After a bit of trouble, it was hidden under a fold of my clothing and out of sight.

"Your Codecs will be on at all times! Each is set to a specific frequency to an individual in the Intelligence Corps back at Mother Base! They will guide you through the mission and relay information that other soldiers have picked up! They also give you someone to talk to, in case you poor bastards are too alone!" He grinned. "And now for the weapons!"

The radio's earpiece buzzed with static before a voice broke through. "This is frequency one-four-one point one-two. Bobby, is this you?"

I tuned out the Bravo leader. "Y…yeah…who is this?"

"I'm Snake's close friend, Otacon." The earpiece buzzed with static again. "Sorry about the reception. I'm trying to boost the signal…"

Static continued to buzz as I tried to focus on the Bravo leader. He was talking about a powerful tranquilizer-firing contraption called an EZ Gun. He began to hand them out.

"All right. That should do it," Otacon's voice became clearer. "I have a map of the Big Shell pulled up on the computer in front of me. It's not a complete map, but it's what we have to go on."

I received an EZ Gun and holster and clipped it onto my belt. "Yeah?" I said into the microphone.

"If my suspicions are correct, Press is being held in Shell Two, lower level. He should be with the other hostages. It's the most heavily guarded. The other soldiers should be receiving this information shortly." Otacon continued. "But there's something they aren't being briefed on that you will."

"What is it?" I put a hand over the earpiece to try to hear better over the roar of the helicopter blades.

"We had a few reports from men before they were…killed," Otacon hesitated slightly and took a deep breath. "They reported an unusual character in the Big Shell…someone they have never encountered before. They guessed he was simply a new recruit."

"Who?" I asked. The Bravo leader went on to explain something else.

"They said it was a man, dressed differently than the others. He wore black…a black cloak. He had white hair and terrifying eyes."

I was at a loss of words. Saint Dane had already been spotted…?

"I assume you know how dangerous this man is, Bobby." Otacon said. "And don't worry. Snake told me everything he knows about the Travelers. I'm one of the good guys."

"Did…did Saint Dane say anything?" I stuttered.

"Nothing of importance. A survivor reported him smirking before pulling the trigger of an AK."

A small handheld gun in a removable holster was passed to me. I clipped it on the other side of my belt, not focused on the weapon. "So he was bold enough to show himself…"

"For all we know, Bobby…we're walking right into a trap." Otacon said.

"I don't care. I have to save my uncle." I spotted a structure in the distance.

As if he had read my mind, Otacon sighed and said, "You should be arriving at the Big Shell within a few minutes. Stick with the men and follow orders unless I instruct."

"Got it." I said.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," Otacon switched out, but I knew he could still hear me.

The helicopter hovered over a hexagonal-shaped building. One side of the hexagon was attached to another similar shape, both of them sharing a side.

We drifted over to the far side of the first shape and touched down on a landing pad occupied by two other helicopters. The soldiers filed out and I followed, hand on my EZ Gun. It had fifty shots exactly. No extra ammo.

"I will lead a squad over here!" The Bravo Leader called as the helicopter's blades stopped spinning. "Terry will lead another to Shell Two!"

"You should follow Commander Terry," Otacon said, startling me slightly. "He's heading where you want to go."

I joined the group of seven jogging toward the general direction of the second Shell. Commander Terry was a fairly plain-looking guy with short brown hair under an official looking hat. He had stern eyes and unsmiling lips, and the aura of loss and regret shrouded him. He wore badges and medals on his uniform. I began to wonder what he had done to earn those….what he had lost.

The wind was fierce on the landing pad. More than once I thought my Codec thing would blow off.

We reached a set of stairs and filed down, guns drawn. It was something out of an action movie. I noticed one of the men with us had a red cross on his back; the medic. I hoped we wouldn't have to use him.

We had entered into a small room with a cubical setup, like in an office. The fabric-covered walls separated us from the computers and workplaces, but there was plenty to investigate here. Tacked to the sides of the cubical were designs and blueprints for new weaponry. I saw something that I assumed was a rocket launcher on steroids.

"Look here," one of the soldiers whispered, detaching a paper from the wall. He passed it around to us while two other soldiers scouted around the room, searching for any potential threats.

The paper eventually reached me. It was another blueprint…this one to some sort of bipedal tank. I didn't have to read the blueprint name to know what it was.

"Metal Gear REX," I muttered.

"What was that?" Otacon asked. A screech of feedback accompanied his voice.

"I said Metal Gear REX." I repeated a bit louder, rubbing my ear. The other soldiers were starting to relaying information to the Mother Base. I overheard one mentioning an old sci-fi movie.

"Where? Where is it? I can pull up data on it…do you have any C3?"

"No…we found blueprints. Just sitting here," I hesitated slightly. "What do you mean, do I have C3?"

"Never mind," Otacon sighed. "But these blueprints…they were out in the open? This is spelling out 'Trap' faster than I expected…"

I passed the blueprints on. "We'll bring the design back to Mother Base. Maybe they're adding some new weapon onto these things."

"I wouldn't doubt it. I'll be sending directions to Commander Terry from this point on. Contact me if you find anything else on these Metal Gear…or a stray hostage. Otacon out." The Codec line went out.

The soldier to last see the blueprint tucked it away in his uniform. The other soldiers motioned for us to follow. We walked around the side of the cubical, where an abandoned computer sat on a desk lathered in papers. We walked out to the right onto a strut connecting our platform to another. Thin, short rails guarded the sides. It was a straight shot across, no cover anywhere.

"How do we know they don't have cameras set up?" One of the soldiers asked in a low voice.

"I don't see any Cyphers…"

"What if they've got snipers on the roof?"

Terry raised a hand to his ear, listening to whatever instructions were given. He nodded and announced, "Cyphers are patrolling this facility. Keep an eye out. If you see one, do not hesitate to use your M."

"He means the other gun. It's called a M1911A1, but he prefers the shortened version; M," Otacon said. "Sorry I distracted you during the gun's debriefing."

"It's ok," I responded.

So that was what the other gun was called.

I put the EZ Gun into its holster and drew the M1911A1, feeling incredibly insecure with a gun that could actually do damage. One of the soldiers had to help me with the safety. It fit in my hand perfectly, which actually creeped me out a bit. I was told it had six shots; no more, no less. I couldn't afford to waste them.

We began walking quickly along the strut, keeping our eyes peeled for any Cyphers. (I couldn't remember, but I thought I remembered seeing one of these things in the Metal Gear game I played. Weren't Cyphers those little floaty things with the cameras?) All was going smoothly, despite the feeling of being completely exposed to whatever firearms this place had. No snipers were spotted on the rooftops. Now that I think of it, I only spotted one soldier with us with a sniper rifle…I hoped he was good, and he wouldn't get hit.

Maybe I over-reacted for nothing. We made it across safely. The only trouble came from the door on the next platform. It required a keycard to pass, but the medic with us assured Terry he could bypass it. It didn't take him more than two minutes.

We were now in some sort of packaging and processing center. Terry signaled for us to duck almost as soon as we set foot into the room. I hit the ground along with the other men. Unlike the others, my gun clanged noisily on the tiles.

There was a grunt of confusion halfway across the room. I thought the humming of the machinery would drown my gun's clang out, but I guessed wrong. Terry had holstered his M1911A1 for his EZ. Most of the other soldiers were doing the same. I copied them, my hands shaking wildly.

A hooded man came into sight. He wore tan camouflage and a black ski mask over his face. A large assault rifle-looking thing was in his hands.

Terry didn't waste a second and shot the EZ, striking the man's shoulder. He stood, stunned, for a few seconds before staggering. He collapsed to the ground with a soft snore.

"This is enough to knock out an elephant." Terry mumbled, returning the EZ to his belt.

I gave a sigh of relief. The soldiers began to stand again and scout out the room, but the only guard was lying at Terry's feet, out for the count.

"You have to cross one more strut before you can enter the platform that will lead to Shell Two." Otacon said. "Are you sure you're up for this, Bobby?"

"Of course!" I sounded a bit offended. Perhaps I was.

Terry had found a keycard in one of the guard's pockets, saying, "Every minute spent picking the locks is a minute we could have used saving hostages. If you knock out a guard, check their right interior pocket. Their keycards are there."

The medic scoffed. "I'm the fastest lockpick and hacker Mother Base has ever seen. I don't need no keycard."

Despite my fear and excitement, I grinned.

We moved out of the packaging room as quickly as we could. The next strut was like the other; completely in the open. Terry ordered us to 'shut the hell up' and we did, standing stupidly on the edge of the strut, listening for something.

I didn't hear anything over the waves crashing into the Big Shell's sides and the seagulls that flew around, squawking. Terry nodded and muttered, "Move out."

"Do you know what a Cypher sounds like, Bobby?" Otacon asked.

"Um…no," I tried to think back to the game.

"They have a very distinct sound. It was described once as, 'wings of metal'."

"Do they have wings?" I didn't remember this at all.

"No, they are propelled by specialized engines in their cores. If I could get my hands on one…I guarantee the Mother Base would get an upgrade in security." He laughed nervously. "But anyway…the sound. Along with the 'metal wings', there is a high-pitched, beeping sound. You can't miss it. It's the Cypher's only flaw. You can hear it from a long ways away. I think the sound has to do with the engine efficiency …"

We were in the middle of the strut when Terry stumbled and fell. I nearly ran over him as most of the soldiers continued on their way to the next platform. "Terry…?"

He was lying completely still. One of the soldiers ahead of us glanced back and grabbed the medic's attention before bolting to the next platform. The medic's face was lined with worry as he dropped next to me and the few soldiers that stayed with me. He didn't even examine him…he just reached into Terry's uniform pocket and retrieved the keycard before commanding, "To the next platform. Now!"

"Bobby, what's going on?" Otacon nearly shouted.

"I don't know! Commander Terry just…dropped dead!" I was feeling panicked as a million theories ran through my head. "Are there snipers?!"

That was when I heard it. I don't exactly know how to describe it, but I guess it was kind of a metallic swooshing sound. 'Metal wings' was the only thing that registered on my mind. Every three seconds, a high-pitched beep would sound and echo around the Big Shell's strut. I spun around to see something rise up from the platform top.

The bottom of the thing looked like a water buoy painted shiny gray. It was supporting a teepee of steel rods that were attached to what I assumed to be a camera of some sort, judging by the lenses that glimmered in the sun. A tiny red light blinked every time the beeping sounded. Hanging under the buoy was a long gun, aimed at us. The high-pitched beep became deeper until a siren was wailing.

"Bobby, that is what we call a Sniper Cypher. Get to cover immediately." Otacon commanded.

I didn't need telling twice. I bolted to the other men gathered at the next platform's door, waiting for the medic to arrive with the keycard. Something hit my shoe in the heel, but I didn't dare look to see what it was.

I heard and felt someone fell behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a red cross on the back of the medic as he lay facedown, unmoving. I hesitated, staring into the Cypher's camera. I had to retrieve the keycard if we were to keep moving.

With a bang, the sniper the machine was holding exploded, blasting part of the metal buoy off with it. The Cypher began to spin out of control before plummeting into the waves below. I ran back to the medic and retrieved the keycard clutched in his hand.

I hurried back to the other soldiers, nearly tripping over my feet. One of the men grabbed it from me and jammed it into the slot. "We need to get to cover! More Cyphers are en route!"

I faced the platform we had just come from, my eyes landing on the downed commander and medic. Movement caught my eye as three more Cyphers rounded the platform's top. All three were carrying different guns.

"Open, dammit! Open!" The soldier smashed his fist on the keycard's slot.

A few of the soldiers began firing at the Cyphers. They were still too far off, and only one was hit enough to damage the camera. It hovered uselessly, gun spinning in a circle. The sound of sirens and metal wings was deafening.

The door beeped and a light flashed green. The soldier grabbed the keycard and hurried into the next platform. I drew my EZ, hands shaking terribly. I thought I would go deaf from the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

We were greeted by guards, three of them. Most of the solders ducked and took cover as they began firing. I managed to escape behind a generator of some sort. A bullet clanged off the back of the metal. I was petrified. I couldn't move.

"Bobby? Respond!" Otacon's voice broke through the noise.

"G…gunfight!" I stuttered. "We're under attack!"

The shots intensified before silence fell suddenly, unexpectedly. I managed to glance around the side of the generator, shaking so hard my arms threatened to give out.

The three guards that attacked us lay unmoving. I couldn't tell if they were still alive. One of our soldiers was clutching at his arm while another ripped his sleeve into strips to use as bandages.

"I'm fine, really. It's a little cut…" the man grimaced.

"A little cut?! You've got a fuckin' bullet in your arm!" The man ripping up his sleeve began to bind the wound. "Don't move...I got this…"

"One w-wounded…no one d-dead…" I stuttered into the microphone. "We're ok…"

"That's always good to hear. No mortal injuries?" Otacon sighed.

"No…only a bullet to the arm."

"Good. You're almost there, Bobby. You're doing well."

Once the man was bandaged, we continued on, extremely wary of our surroundings. As far as I could tell, the alarms had been switched off. Every now and then we'd pass a radio mounted in the wall that was flashing a yellow colour. I heard one of the men mutter, "Damn yellow alert."

We passed through a storage room containing mostly boxes and crates labeled with numbers and letters before we reached the next strut's door.

"This is the last time we have to do this." The makeshift medical man muttered. "We just have to get in, rescue the hostages, and get out to this strut. Our helicopter will be waitin' right here."

He approached the doors with his M1911A1 drawn and ready in one hand, the EZ Gun in the other. They opened, but no one was there to greet us, save for a Cypher lazily floating around near Shell 2's entrance. He took brief aim and shot with the pistol, catching its middle and sending it plummeting in a trail of smoke.

"Go, go, go!"

We ran. I was the last one to the other side, but we all made it in one piece. The soldier who was shot had to lean on one of the others from this point on. He had lost a lot of blood.

The doors opened and we ducked in. We could hear voices down the hall to our right. To our left was a storage area. Our new medical guy sneaked in there and came back with bandages and painkillers.

"Go on, we'll catch up," he hissed. "We don't have any time to spare."

I followed the remaining two soldiers around the corner. The hallway ended in a dead end, with a door cut into either side. Voices and laughter were coming from the right.

"It needs a higher level security key." The first soldier muttered.

"No doubt the guards in the other room have clearance." The second nodded.

The first soldier glanced at me. "Hey, kid…go wait with the other two. We can handle this."

"My uncle is a hostage," I growled. "I want to make sure he's ok. I'm going with you."

"What was Snake thinking…? Sending a kid on this highly dangerous mission…"

Now that he mentioned it, what the heck was he thinking? He knew I wanted action…but not this much this quickly.

"Are you a good shot?" the first demanded.

I drew my EZ. "Yeah…"

"Then prove it. I'm going in there with you. You shoot, or be shot."

My knees felt weak. "What…?!"

"Let's go." He pushed the doors open and entered. His EZ emitted a soft thwhip sound as it fired. I followed and shakily held my gun in front of me.

There were three guards chatting around a table. One, with his back to us, was slouching from the tiny dart stuck in his shoulder. The other two were fumbling for their weapons. I shot, nailing one in the chest. His movements ceased and he fell to the side, off his chair. The other soldier with me took out the other.

"Not bad." He said, striding into the room. He quickly searched the guards, finding a keycard in the second's pocket. "This should do the trick."

We were greeted by the new medical man. He was alone, and I later found out that the wounded soldier with us had been sent back using Fulton Recovery. We wasted no time in opening the door and heading in.

Instead of a door leading to a hallway, it was simply a small, deserted room. An elevator. We hustled in, and it began its decent down. The FOXHOUND soldiers checked their ammo and bounced nervously from foot to foot. I took a few deep breaths.

"This is it, Bobby. When these doors open, you may be greeted by the enemy." Otacon said.

"I'm ready," I responded, drawing both my M1911A1 and EZ. No time to back out now. I asked for this, anyway, I wanted some action, after all…

The elevator dinged.

The doors opened.

We were facing a balcony overlooking a large room. People were sitting along the walls on the floor below, blindfolded and bound to each other at the wrists. In the middle of the room were some Metal Gear REX. I had a perfect view to see them all. I assumed there were at least five.

I heard one of the soldiers mutter a prayer. The new medic swore. The third was the first to whisper out, "I have never seen so many before."

"Otacon, we might have a problem…" I gulped.

"What is it?"

"We found the hostages. But they're heavily guarded." I counted at least ten guards milling about with guns. "And they're in a room…filled with five Metal Gear REX."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"Otacon…?"

"This is not good…" was his only reply.

XxXxXxXx

SECOND EARTH

XxXxXxXx

"All right, you geek. Tell me where Bobby went."

"W-what?!"

"I can't get ahold of their house. Their phone line's disconnected. You know something I don't. Now, please tell me."

Courtney glanced down at her shoes. "I'm actually kind of worried…"

Mark blinked and adjusted his glasses. "Um…well…Bobby's not really in the hospital…"

"Why did you tell me that in the first place?!" Courtney growled. "You worried the hell out of me!"

"S…sorry…" Mark shied away slightly.

"You know what? Come with me…" Courtney walked off Mark's front porch. "I'm going to visit Bobby's house and get to the bottom of this. You're starting to really worry me, anyway."

"Y…yeah, I suppose that'd be a good idea…" Mark awkwardly followed. "D-do you know where he lives?"

"I've been invited to six of his birthday parties. I'm pretty sure I know where he lives." Courtney mounted her bike again. "So? You coming?"

Mark grabbed his own bike and followed her down the couple blocks. They reached the street and turned down it, Courtney falling behind to pace Mark.

"I swear, if all this crap is for nothing, I'm going to egg both his house and yours."

Mark kept pedaling, eyes fixed ahead. Something was wrong…

"Uh…Courtney…?"

Her eyes got wide and she began to pick up speed, heading toward the Pendragon house.

…Or, where it used to be.

"It's…gone?!" Courtney hopped off her bike and stepped onto the square patch of grass. "No! What the hell?!"

Mark followed her onto the vegetation and took a deep breath. "Um…I can explain…"

"You've better!"

It was then that Mark felt the ring on his hand begin to heat up. He took a few steps away from the enraged girl in front of him and pulled the ring off. "W-watch this…"

He tossed it to the ground, where the music and lights began. Courtney gasped and shielded her eyes as the light grew even brighter and the music, louder. It was all over in seconds.

"What…was that…" she asked.

"I'm not exactly sure." Mark admitted, picking up the new journal. "B-but this is written by Bobby. I know you won't believe me, but maybe if you read it too…it'd make more sense."

Courtney made a grab for it, but Mark drew back.

"No…this is the second one! I have the first one at my house…come on, I'll let you read it. I…I think I can trust you. I think Bobby can trust you."

XxXxXxXx

So…Bobby's getting his first taste of action. Being a Traveler, he's going to get a lot more, too.

Sorry about the cliffhanger. I forgot about it. (Haha, nope! I just want you all to be wondering what will happen until next week!)

Although…reviews tend to motivate me a bit more…Hint, hint.

Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28